OTTO WALLIN has vowed to hijack Dillian Whyte’s world title shot against Tyson Fury by beating his heavyweight rival.
The Body Snatcher is currently the Gypsy King’s WBC mandatory and will earn a shot at the belt should he beat the Swedish southpaw later this month.
But Wallin, who was outpointed against the unbeaten Mancunian in their 2019 Las Vegas affair, is confident at producing a shock at London’s O2 Arena.
The 30-year-old has labelled Whyte, 33, as ‘basic’ – insisting he will put the pressure on the heavy-handed Brixton bomber.
Commenting on the fight, he told the Knuckles and Gloves podcast: “To me Whyte is a basic guy – he’s got a decent jab, a good left hook and is a good body puncher.
“He’s an aggressive guy but, other than that, he’s pretty basic. I can say I’m not basic. I’m a smart fighter with fast hands and fast feet.
“I don’t know if Dillian has fought any southpaws in his career.
“Maybe he did early on, but nobody really at a high level. I’m different from a lot of the fighters he’s faced.
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“I don’t want to let Dillian be comfortable in there, I want to make it hard for him, just like I did against Fury.
“If I beat Dillian, they might exercise the rematch but that doesn’t mean I’m locked into him. If I beat him, I’ll be the interim champion and maybe then I can go after Fury.
“I’m in boxing to become a world champion. I’ve worked myself to this level but I don’t want to stop here.”
Interim WBC champ Whyte has urged the governing body to finally grant him the opportunity to fight for a world title should he beat Wallin.
He told Sky Sports News: “Fury has the belt. [Deontay] Wilder had the chance to fight me for three years but didn’t.
“Hopefully now the WBC forces my position and Fury has no choice. It’s a massive British fight, a major fight for Britain.
“Fury is an unpredictable man who might say: ‘I am done!’
“I hope we can make a fight when I get past Wallin. But Fury is a difficult guy to plan. I haven’t heard a word from him about making a fight.”
Before adding: “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at them. I am definitely looking at fighting Fury.
“Wallin is a dangerous operator – he pushed Fury all the way.
“I am looking to fight Fury next if everything goes according to plan. I’m always up against it, I’m always in hard fights. I’m used to it.”
